title: Activation of urocortin 1 and ghrelin signaling in the basolateral amygdala induces anxiogenesis.
abstract: Prior anatomical and functional studies have demonstrated the importance of the basolateral region of the amygdala in the regulation of anxiogenic and anxiolytic behaviors. In the present report we investigated the anxiety-inducing effects of the corticotropin-releasing hormone-related peptide urocortin 1 (Ucn1) and the gut-brain peptide ghrelin. Both peptides were injected directly into the basolateral amygdala of male Sprague-Dawley rats and performance in the elevated plus maze was assessed. Ghrelin was administered at doses of 3-300 pmol and Ucn1 at doses of 0.01-1.0 pmol. Separate groups of rats were pretreated with Ucn1 before ghrelin treatment. In all experiments each test was performed as a single trial per animal. Results indicated that both ghrelin and Ucn1 elicited an increase in anxiogenic behavior. Moreover, Ucn1 pretreament potentiated the anxiogenic action of ghrelin. Overall these findings provide support for an integrated role of ghrelin and urocortin signaling within the basolateral amygdala in the expression of anxiogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, Oregon, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Currie
authors.forename: Lindsey M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schuette
authors.forename: Shelby E R
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Wauson
authors.forename: William N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Angeles
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D054832:Urocortins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D054832:Urocortins